PAM. 
S.  AMEK. 


A Clarion  Call 

FROM 

BRAZIL 


W.  E.  ENTZMINGER 


FOREIGN  MISSION  BOARD 
SOUTHERN  BAPTIST  CONVENTION 
RICHMOND,  VIRGINIA 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/clarioncallfrombOOentz 


A CLARION  CALL  FROM  BRAZIL 


W.  E.  Entzminger. 


On  July  18,  1891,  the  writer,  with  his  bride 
of  a few  days,  boarded  the  good  ship  “Vigil- 
ancia”  at  Newport  News,  Va.,  in  response  to 
the  Macedonian  call  that  had  come  from  the 
far-away  “Land  of  the  Southern  Cross.”  On 
the  same  ship  sailed  brethren  J.  J.  Taylor  and 
wife,  of  Arkansas,  and  J.  L.  Downing  and  wife, 
of  Missouri.  The  Taylors  and  Downings  were 
going  to  reinforce  our  pioneer  missionary,  W. 
B.  Bagby,  at  Rio,  while  the  Entzmingers  were 
going  to  the  aid  of  Z.  C.  Taylor  at  Bahia. 

When  the  “Vigilancia”  had  headed  out  to 
sea  and  we  began  to  form  acquaintances  with 
our  fellow-passengers,  it  was  discovered  that 
there  were  no  fewer  than  seventeen  missionaries 
on  board,  representing  Baptists,  Methodists, 
Presbyterians,  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers,  some 
already  veterans  in  service,  while  the  majority 
were  young  men  and  young  women  who  were 
leaving  their  native  land  as  Abraham  of  old 
had  gone  out  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  but 
whose  faces  were  turned  to  the  future,  radiant 
with  the  hope  and  expectancy  of  those  who 
had  seen  a vision. 

After  an  uneventful,  but  pleasant  voyage  of 
twenty-three  days  via  Para,  Maranhao,  and 
Pernambuco,  we  arrived  at  Bahia  on  th^  10th 
of  August,  just  as  the  king  of  day  was  sinking 
under  the  western  horizon,  enveloping  that 
tropical  city  and  its  environs  in  such  a wealth 

3 


of  gorgoous  beauty  that  in  the  distance  it  pre- 
sented a scene  so  fascinating  that  we  half- 
imagined  we  had  come  to  some  magical  land  of 
the  Arabian  Nights;  but  in  reality  we  had 
come  to  a place  where,  during  the  months  to 
follow,  we  were  to  undergo  experiences  well 
nigh  overwhelming. 

Although  some  ten  years  had  elapsed  since 
the  arrival  of  Bagby  and  Taylor,  by  whose 
heroic  efforts  much  seed  had  been  sown,  we 
found  we  had  come  in  a day  of  small  things, 
when  even  the  corner-stone  of  the  future  em- 
pire which  Baptist  are  to  build  for  Christ  in 
Brazil  had  hardly  yet  been  laid.  In  the  whole 
country  there  were  but  three  Baptist  mission- 
aries— Taylor  at  Bahia  and  Bagby  and  Soper 
at  Rio.  There  were  but  three  Baptist  churches 
— one  at  Bahia,  one  at  Rio,  and  the  third  at 
Maceo,  where  the  converted  ex-Catholic  priest, 
Teixeira,  had  wrought  mightily  before  his  un- 
timely death.  The  combined  membership  of 
all  three  churches  did  not  exceed  150  members, 
and  these  of  the  humblest.  The  outlook  for 
evangelistic  work  was  by  no  means  encourag- 
ing, for  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  new  republic  the  people,  under  the  pernici- 
ous influence  of  the  priests,  entertained  the 
bitterest  prejudice  against  the  Gospel  and  its 
messengers;  persecutions,  often  in  the  most 
violent  form,  abounded  and  the  “open  doors’" 
were  few  and  far  between. 

The  story  of  what  in  the  twenty-three  inter- 
vening years  God  has  wrought  by  means  of 
the  little  handful  of  missionaries  and  their 
native  helpers  at  work  in  this  land  of  papal 
superstition  and  ignorance  surely  would  read 
like  a chapter  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and 
doubtless  would  be  one  of  the  most  stirring 
in  the  history  of  modern  missions.  The  three 
small  churches  have  become  175,  and  the  15(> 

4 


believers  have  become  12,000,  representing  all 
classes,  many  of  whom  are  the  very  salt  of  the 
earth.  Prom  near  the  headwaters  of  the  mighty 
Amazon,  in  the  far  north  to  the  plains  of  the 
Rio  Grand  do  Sul,  in  the  extreme  south,  Bap- 
tist churches  have  been  planted,  from  whose 
humble  pulpits  a whole  Gospel  is  proclaimed  to 
multitudes,  in  which  the  way  to  freedom  in 
Christ  from  the  debasing  superstition  and 
tyranny  of  the  Church  of  Rome  is  made  plain. 
Five  colleges  have  been  established,  and  two 
theological  schools,  with  some  twenty-five  stu- 
dents, are  making  a valuable  contribution  to- 
wards the  preparation  of  a native  ministry.  A 
flourishing  publishing  house,  which  promises 
large  things  for  the  future,  has  been  built  up 
in  Rio.  And  for  several  years  a national  con- 
vention, with  which  is  associated  a woman’s 
union,  and  with  which  the  churches  co-operate 
in  -education,  publications  and  missions,  has 
annually  held  enthusiastic  sessions,  imparting 
to  the  churches’  messengers  a noble  spirit  of 
co-operation.  Also  a large  liberality  has  been 
cultivated  among  the  converts,  which  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  for  the  whole  field  the  aver- 
age last  year  reaches  about  $7  per  member. 
A goodly  number  of  churches  have  become  en- 
tirely self-sustaining,  and  nearly  all  are  contri- 
buting to  ministerial  education  and  publica- 
tions, to  home  evangelization  in  the  States  of 
Parana  and  Matto  Grosso,  and  to  foreign  mis- 
sions in  Chile  and  Portugal.  Notwithstanding 
the  distressing  financial  depression  that  is  now 
being  felt  throughout  the  republic,  the  spirit 
of  liberal  giving  grows,  and  in  many  instances 
reaches  the  heights  of  heroic  sacrifice. 

During  these  later  years  the  attitude  of  the 
Brazilian  nation  towards  Americans  and  their 
evangelical  propaganda  has  undergone  a mighty 
transformation;  the  spirit  of  mistrust  and  hos- 

5 


tility,  so  long  formented  on  the  one  hand  by 
their  mistaken  political  leaders  and  false  re- 
ligious teachers,  and  hy  the  commercial  rival 
nations  of  Europe  on  the  other  hand,  is  giving 
way  to  that  of  confidence  and  good  will,  and 
an  increasing  element  of  the  better  classes 
hail  the  work  of  American  missionaries  as 
fundamental  and  redemptive,  to  whom  they 
give  their  fervent  Godspeed.  Especially  do  Bap- 
tist principles  appeal  to  the  democratic  spirit 
that  like  leaven  is  permeating  the  masses  of  the 
South  American  republics.  Indeed,  there  is  no 
exaggeration  in  proclaiming  Brazil  as  perhaps 
the  ripest  mission  field  of  the  world.  Of  no 
land  can  the  Master’s  words  be  more  appropria- 
ately  applied,  “Lift  up  your  eyes  and  look  upon 
the  fields,  for  they  are  white  already  to 
harvest.” 

The  increasing  eagerness  on  the  part  of  the 
people  to  hear  the  Gospel  message  and  the 
rapid  growth  of  the  work,  without  a corre- 
sponding increase  in  the  resources  to  meet  its 
urgent  demands,  has,  however,  precipitated  a 
crisis  so  serious  that  it  has  become  to  the  last 
degree  alarming.  Despite  the  heartrending  ap- 
peals for  reinforcements,  and  despite  the  fact 
that  a goodly  number  of  choice  young  men 
have  been  pleading  to  be  sent,  our  board  at 
Richmond,  owing  to  lack  of  funds,  has  been 
absolutely  helpless  in  relieving  the  situation. 
We  are  made  happy,  however,,  by  the  recent 
appointrcient  of  several  new  men. 

The  increased  responsibilities  that  have  fallen 
upon  the  already  overburdened  workers  on  the 
field  have  proved  far  too  taxing,  and  as  a con- 
sequence an  unusually  large  number  have 
broken  down  under  the  strain,  and  have  had 
to  seek  rest  and  recuperation  in  the  home  land, 
leaving  their  work  to  take  care  of  itself,  or 
to  be  cared  for  by  those  v/ho  are  already  work- 


ing  beyond  their  strength.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  the  Master’s  cause  is  suffering  incal- 
culable loss.  Much  vantage  ground  that  has 
been  gained  at  great  sacrifice  is  slipping  away 
from  us.  The  great  Amazon  valley  whose  con- 
quest for  Christ  a little  while  back  was  so 
promising  is  at  present  without  a missionary, 
and  even  v/ithout  a native  worker  who  can 
at  all  adequately  handle  the  situation.  For 
twenty  years  E.  A.  Nelson  and  his  noble  wife, 
single-handed  and  alone,  have  there  waged  the 
Lord’s  battles  with  apostolic  zeal  and  holy  con- 
secration. EVen  with  tears  they  have  pleaded 
for  help,  but  in  vain.  In  these  later  years  all 
the  powers  of  darkness,  it  seems,  have  con- 
spired to  destroy  the  work  they  so  auspiciously 
began  and  have  carried  on  with  rare  devotion. 
The  important  church  at  Manans,  which  owns 
a splendid  building,  and  which  is  entirely  self- 
sustaining,  has  been  for  several  years  without 
a pastor,  despite  the  fact  that  they  have  been 
offering  $2,000  a year  for  even  a moderately 
capable  man  who  could,  at  least  in  a measure, 
save  the  day.  The  once  flourishing  church  at 
Para  that  holds  the  key  to  the  Amazon  valley 
is  also  in  a distressing  situation. 

Down  in  the  city  and  State  of  Bahia,  where 
our  Brazilian  Baptist  work  had  its  beginnings, 
conditions  beggar  description.  The  two  large 
churches  in  the  city,  both  centrally  located,  and 
both  well  equipped  with  houses,  and  which  were 
once  as  flourishing  as  a tree  planted  by  rivers 
of  water,  have  for  many  months  been  pastorless. 
And  the  work  in  the  whole  city  has  suffered 
irretrievable  loss.  The  thirty  churches  scat- 
tered through  the  interior  of  the  State  are  also 
largely  without  adequate  pastoral  care,  and, 
of  course,  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  the 
consequences.  For  that  whole  field  we  have 
but  one  missionary-evangelist.  Brother  E.  A. 

7 


Jackson,  who  cannot  do  even  a tenth  part  of 
the  work.  Indeed,  to  go  through  our  Brazilian 
Baptist  Zion  and  see  with  one’s  own  eyes,  as 
the  writer  has  done,  what  it  has  suffered  from 
lack  of  men  and  equipment  is  sufficient  to  fill 
the  heart  with  dismay.  Oh,  may  the  Lord  of 
the  harvest  speedily  send  forth  laborers  into 
his  Brazilian  harvest!  May  His  spirit  mightily 
move  upon  his  people  in  this  favored  land  of 
America  who  have  so  freely  received  of  the 
grace  of  God,  but  who  seem  to  think  it  is  more 
blessed  to  receive  than  to  give. 

This  tremendous  crisis  in  Brazil’s  evangeliza- 
tion should  be  forsooth  the  trumpet  call  of  God 
to  his  people  to  come  up  to  His  help  against 
the  mighty.  Southern  Baptist,  having  put  their 
hands  to  the  plow,  can  never  more  look  back. 
They  stand  unalterably  committed  to  the 
heaven  imposed  trust.  To  be  sure  they  can  be 
unfaithful  to  it,  but  if  so  would  it  not  be  just 
as  impossible  for  them  to  escape  the  condemna- 
tion of  heaven  as  it  is  for  fire  not  to  burn 
or  steam  to  expand.  May  our  great  Baptist 
host  of  this  Southland  arise  as  one  man  to 
answer  to  the  summons  to  advance,  and  to  give 
of  their  sons  and  of  their  daughters  and  of 
their  gold  for  the  redemption  of  beautiful 
Brazil. 


“Stand  up!  Stand  up  for  Jesus! 
The  trumpet  call  obey, 

Forth  to  the  mighty  conflict, 

In  this  His  glorious  day.” 


